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Relentless drive, ambition and Pep Guardiola inspiration: Liam Rosenior's rise to the top at Chelsea ahead of Champions League managerial bow
Liam Rosenior’s hectic start to life as Chelsea boss continues when his side host Cypriot outfit Pafos in the Champions League tonight.
Rosenior has made a solid start to his tenure after wins against Charlton and Brentford sandwiched a close-fought defeat to Arsenal.
Here, DAZN News reporter Ross Heppenstall charts Rosenior’s circuitous route to the top.
Playing career
Rosenior, the son of former manager and player Leroy Rosenior, was born in London and began his career at Bristol City.
He rose to prominence there and earned a move to Fulham in November 2003, where he played for several seasons in the Premier League.
Rosenior, a full-back or midfielder, had a spell at Reading before joining Hull City in 2010.
He helped them to get promoted to the Premier League in 2012-13, and the following season Steve Bruce's side reached the FA Cup final, losing 3-2 to Arsenal in extra-time after going 2-0 up inside eight minutes.
Curtis Davies, who captained Hull at Wembley and scored their second goal against the Gunners in the 2014 FA Cup final, became acquainted with Rosenior years earlier when they played together for England Under-21s.
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Davies recalls: “We instantly hit it off and had a common bond with us both having parents from Sierra Leone.
“Liam had a vision of how he wanted to get to the top and he wasn’t going to be stopped.
“He’s a really nice guy but on the pitch he’s got a switch because he’ll get angry with himself and other people because he’s so demanding.
“He could put his foot in and make a big tackle when needed and Hull, we were in our early thirties.
“Liam would be on the bus reading books by Pep and Mourinho and anything else he could get his hands on.”
Rosenior later had a spell at Brighton before hanging up his boots in July 2018.
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Moving into coaching
Following his retirement from playing, Rosenior took up the position of assistant coach with Brighton's under-23 team, which he combined with appearing as a pundit on Sky Sports.
In July 2019, he moved to Derby County as a specialist first-team coach to Phillip Cocu before becoming assistant to Wayne Rooney.
When Rooney resigned in June 2022, Rosenior took over as interim manager but he left the club after Paul Warne arrived as the Rams’ new permanent boss.
Davies played for Derby when Rosenior was assistant coach, saying: “Wayne was manager but 90% of the detail came from Liam’s coaching, which was unreal.
“The detail in his methods were ridiculous and he won’t just say ‘make this pass’ but he’ll explain why.
“Liam saw the hard yards his dad Leroy did as a manager and I think that drove him on to go one better.”
Hull City tenure
On November 3, 2022, Rosenior was appointed head coach at Hull City on a two-and-a-half-year deal, returning to the club where he made 161 appearances between 2010 and 2015.
He earned admirers for his work in East Yorkshire but was somewhat harshly sacked in May 2024 after the Tigers finished seventh in the Championship to narrowly miss out on the play-offs.
Davies states: “Hull sacked Liam for finishing seventh but they nearly got relegated the following season.”
Reinventing himself in France before landing Chelsea job
Shortly after being axed by Hull, Rosenior was appointed as the new head coach of Ligue 1 club Strasbourg, joining the BlueCo club on a three-year deal.
He replaced Patrick Vieira, who had left by mutual consent after finishing 13th.
Rosenior guided Strasbourg to a seventh-placed finish last season and began to attract admiring glances from Premier League clubs.
With the French side again prospering under Rosenior’s guidance again this season, Chelsea swooped to appoint him after parting company with Enzo Maresca last month.
On January 6, Rosenior was appointed as the new head coach of Chelsea on a six-and-a-half-year deal.
Former team-mate Davies, now a respected pundit, reasons: “After being sacked by Hull City, did anyone think Liam would be taking charge of Chelsea 18 months later?
“Not in a million years. Liam’s a realist, but also an optimist and I know how driven he is.
“I saw that when we played together at Hull before he coached me at Derby.
“His time at Strasbourg went really well and to see him as Chelsea manager now makes me immensely proud.”
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How far can Rosenior go in management?
The Chelsea hot-seat has proved a notoriously difficult job at times in recent years, but Rosenior has made an encouraging start.
The Blues beat Charlton in the FA Cup and lost 3-2 to Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final before winning 2-0 at home to Brentford on Saturday.
Ahead of his first game managing in the Champions League, Rosenior has been tipped for the very top.
Davies says: “Hopefully he wins everything at Chelsea and establishes himself as a top manager.
“Liam could definitely go on and manage England because he has that clean-cut image which the FA want.
“Even if he falls at Chelsea, it’s a high tree to fall from and the England job could still be a long-term possibility for him.
“It’s a big thing to have a young English manager at a club like Chelsea – but particularly a young black English manager.
“If Liam can inspire somebody by being a black face in the Chelsea dugout, that would mean a lot to him.”
Full Champions League fixture list for Matchday 7
Tuesday, 20 January
- Kairat Almaty vs. Club Brugge
- Bodo/Glimt vs. Manchester City
- Copenhagen vs. Napoli
- Inter vs. Arsenal
- Olympiakos vs. Bayer Leverkusen
- Real Madrid vs. Monaco
- Sporting vs. PSG
- Tottenham vs. Borussia Dortmund
- Villarreal vs. Ajax
Wednesday, 21 January
- Galatasaray vs. Atletico Madrid
- Qarabag vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
- Atalanta vs. Athletic Club
- Bayern Munich vs. Union Saint-Gilloise
- Chelsea vs. Pafos
- Juventus vs. Benfica
- Marseille vs. Liverpool
- Newcastle United vs. PSV
- Slavia Prague vs. Barcelona
How to watch Sporting vs. PSG in the USA on DAZN
Soccer fans in the US can watch Sporting vs. PSG in the Champions League in Spanish language as part of their DAZN subscription package.
An annual upfront payment is $224.99 , while paying monthly for 12 months is $19.99 and also provides access to 185 fight nights a year across boxing, MMA, PFL, BKFC, Glory and much more.
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An annual subscription costs $14.99 per month for 12 months and also provides access to 185 fight nights a year across boxing, MMA, PFL, BKFC, Glory and much more.
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Watch every game of the Champions League this season in Canada with a DAZN subscription.
There are three subscription options, each offering a different selection of sports. Access to every Champions League match is included in all three package offerings, ranging from $29.99 to $44.99 per month (for 12 months)
